City to Honour Royal Canadian Sea Cadets

Charlottetown Mayor Clifford Lee and members of City Council will grant Freedom of the City to the Royal Canadian Sea Cadets at a special ceremony on Saturday, September 15.

Granting Freedom of the City is the highest honour a city can bestow. This historic tradition signifies a city’s trust in a military unit, organization or dignitary and serves as an official welcome, granting the freedom to parade or visit the city at leisure.

A special meeting of Council to grant the Freedom of the City will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, September 15. To mark the occasion, approximately 75 sea cadets will march from the provincial government complex parking lot along Kent Street to Queen Street, arriving at City Hall (199 Queen Street) at approximately 10:30 a.m. for the official ceremony. The public is invited to watch the parade of cadets, as well as the ceremony which will take place in front of City Hall on Queen Street.

“The Royal Canadian Sea Cadets train to become active, responsible members of their communities through the national program that teaches the attributes of good citizenship and leadership,” said Charlottetown Mayor Clifford Lee. “For 100 years, sea cadets have contributed to their communities, and we are proud to be able to honour the organization and the past, current and future youth in the program.”

There are 72 active Royal Canadian Sea Cadet Corps in Atlantic Canada with more than 1,900 youth, ages 12 to 18, participating. The sea cadets – 8,000 nationally – contribute to more than 220 communities by volunteering, being active with service clubs, and participating in civic events year-round. Through existing partnerships with the Navy League of Canada, the Royal Canadian Navy, and the Canadian Coast Guard, sea cadets experience Canada, and the world, through unique perspectives such as experiences on board naval and coast guard ships, sailing, seamanship activities and international exchanges. While the sea cadets receive an education on the role of the Canadian Armed Forces, the program focuses on developing transferable life skills, such as teamwork, leadership and decision making.

“This is a significant honour,” said Commander Lawrence Trim, Commanding Officer for the Regional Cadet Support Unit (Atlantic). “Community support is the backbone of our program and there is no greater demonstration of that than being granted Freedom of the City. Alongside our partner, the Navy League of Canada, the Canadian Armed Forces will continue to honour that support through this important youth program by developing youth who are confident, take initiative, and become leaders who help strengthen our communities."

“We are very proud to have the city of Charlottetown grant Freedom of the City to our sea cadets,” said Lieutenant-Commander (Ret’d) Kip Holloway, Division President for the Navy League Prince Edward Island Division. “In 1918, the Navy League Prince Edward Island Division held its first meeting and re-established a history of providing nautical training for boys in Prince Edward Island. Known today as the Royal Canadian Sea Cadets, our program has evolved in partnership with the Canadian Armed Forces and communities like Charlottetown to provide Canadian youth of all genders and cultural backgrounds with the incredible opportunities in sailing and seamanship while experiencing Canada and the world from that unique, maritime viewpoint.”